Emerald Forest
by Nazza
Summary: What could possibly go wrong when Sonic stays overnight at the hotel? What is Knuckles up to? Why don't I update more often? Half of these questions answered.
1. Shadow

EMERALD FOREST

Disclaimer:

This is about my only serious fic

I don't own any characters in this story

CHAPTER 1: SHADOW

'How is everyone?' asked Rouge.

'Were we invited to this for a reason?' asked Sonic.

'Aren't I allowed to have a meal at a restaurant with my friends?' Rouge replied.

Sonic smiled. 'Whatever you say, Rouge.'

Look at him, thought Amy. Rouge is such a flirt.

'Where's Knuckles?' asked Tails.

'He's guarding the emeralds,' said Sonic.

'He needs to loosen up,' said Rouge.

'How come you're so quiet, Shadow?' Amy asked.

'Just thinking about things,' said Shadow.

'What are you thinking about?' Amy asked.

'Nothing in particular,' said Shadow. He sat there watching Rouge, not listening to a word. If only you knew how I felt, he thought to himself.

'Well?' said Sonic.

'Huh?' said Shadow. 'I'm sorry, I wasn't listening.'

'Will you go out with Sonic?' said Tails.

'HUH?'

Tails and Amy cracked up laughing. 'Don't worry about it Shad,' said Sonic. 'For some reason everyone seems to think we should go out together…'

Shadow laughed, although he didn't find it funny. He was feeling nervous, and trying to come up with something impressive to say.

'Hey Sonic,' said Tails, 'could you help me out with my skateboard tricks?'

'Sure,' said Sonic. 'What tricks do you need help with?'

'I need to figure out how to do an ollie,' said Tails.

Rouge laughed. _That's so CUTE!_ she thought.

'What's so funny?' said Tails.

'Nothing,' said Rouge. 'It's just you.'

'You shouldn't laugh at people because they can't do skateboard tricks,' said Tails.

'No, I don't think your pathetic or anything,' said Rouge.

'Well then why were you laughing?'

'No reason,' said Rouge.

'I could teach you if you want,' said Shadow.

'Cool, I guess,' said Tails.

'Look, why don't you just lay off!' said Sonic. He slammed his fist on the table and stood up. 'You big faker! You just have to do everything I do!'

Shadow stood up. 'I just happen to be better at skateboarding than you, okay?'

'Oh, so you have to copy everything I do, 'ey?'

'At least I don't latch onto the kid!'

Everyone at the restaurant was staring at them. 'Alright, guys,' said Rouge. 'I think you should just calm down.'

'I'm calm,' said Shadow. He sat back down, and watched Sonic as he sat down. Sonic death-stared him.

'It's okay,' said Tails. 'I can get Knuckles to teach me.'

'No, no, I'll do it,' said Shadow. Sonic glared at him some more.

'Well, that was a happy moment,' said Amy.

'What are we doing tomorrow?' asked Sonic.

'I'm not doing anything,' said Amy. 'Could I hang around you?'

'Sorry Amy, but I'm uh, um, hanging out with Rouge,' said Sonic.

'Really?' said Rouge.

'Yeah,' said Sonic.

_Amy really should get a new obsession_, thought Tails. _Doesn't she notice that Sonic doesn't like her? I wish she liked me..._

'What are you doing tomorrow, Tails?' asked Sonic.

'Me and Shadow –'

'Oh, that's right, you and Shadow are going to practice your skateboarding techniques,' said Sonic.

'Sonic, stop being such an asshole!' said Shadow.

'I'm not the one being an asshole!' said Sonic. 'If anyone's an asshole, it's you –'

'Guys! GUYS! Stop it!' said Rouge. 'Don't start fighting again!'

'We won't,' said Shadow.

'I think it's time we leave,' said Rouge.

'Yeah,' said Sonic.

'But I haven't finished all my dessert!' said Tails. He took a big spoonful of his ice cream and shoved it all in his mouth. Some of it dribbled down his chin.

Rouge smiled. _He is so CUTE!_

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Knuckles sat down on the grass, looking out at the night sky and keeping an eye on the Master Emerald, the other fourteen emeralds in front of him.

'A pity I couldn't go to that restaurant tonight,' said Knuckles. 'But these emeralds sure are pretty to look at. In a non-gay way.'

'You know what else is pretty to look at?' said Rouge, who had somehow gotten to Emerald Forest.

Knuckles stood up. 'Hey Rouge! How was the night out?'

Rouge sighed. 'Sonic and Shadow were fighting.'

'Again?' said Knuckles, who was used to it.

'Again,' Rouge said. 'And Sonic is so mean to Amy.'

'I know,' Knuckles replied.

'So how was your night?'

'Pretty boring,' said Knuckles. 'But a guardian's gotta do what a guardian's gotta do.'

Rouge smiled. 'Sometimes I think you're too overprotective of those emeralds.'

'Well, who knows what might happen if I don't guard them,' said Knuckles. 'Besides, what else do I have to pass the time?'

'If you weren't guarding the emeralds you could spend more time with me,' said Rouge, smiling seductively…

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sonic and Tails walked home.

'Why are you so mean to Shadow?' Tails asked.

'What do you mean by that?'

'Well, you never gave him a chance –'

'Listen, I don't like Shadow, there's nothing else to it,' said Sonic.

'You know,' said Tails, 'since Knuckles is out guarding the emeralds all night, would it be alright if I…you know…stayed at your place?'

'Sure!' said Sonic. 'Of course you can stay in my apartment!'

'Thanks,' said Tails.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shadow arrived at his house and unlocked the door.

'Sonic is such an asshole.'


	2. Tails

EMERALD FOREST  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own any characters in this story  
  
[CHAPTER 2: TAILS]  
  
'And you slide your foot up,' said Shadow.  
  
Tails tried Shadow's advice, but the skateboard didn't seem to want to go up.  
  
'Don't worry, you'll get better with practice,' said Shadow.  
  
Tails looked around the empty skatepark. 'What are you looking for?' Shadow asked.  
  
'I don't know,' said Tails.  
  
'No one is watching you,' said Shadow.  
  
'It's not that,' said Tails. 'I...I guess I'm afraid that Robotnik is here.'  
  
'I doubt it,' said Shadow. 'Anyway, I've gotten used to the paranoia. You will too someday.'  
  
'Someday,' said Tails. 'Shadow, could you show me how you do an ollie again please?'  
  
'Sure,' said Shadow. He pushed off, then jumped the skateboard.  
  
'Cool trick, Shad!' said Amy who had wandered over.  
  
Tails jumped in fright. 'See what I mean?' said Shadow. 'You'll get used to it.'  
  
'Get used to what?' asked Amy.  
  
'Nothing,' said Shadow. 'What are you here for?'  
  
'Do you guys know where Sonic is?'  
  
'Isn't he with Rouge?' said Shadow.  
  
'Oh yeah.' said Amy. 'Well, I'll just go talk to Knux for a while then.' As Amy skipped off, Tails noticed the way her hair bounced as she skipped.  
  
'She is *so* annoying,' said Shadow.  
  
'You get used to it,' said Tails.  
  
=============================================================  
  
Sonic and Rouge sat on Rouge's bed playing the PlayStation.  
  
'Stupid Dingodile,' said Sonic who threw the controller at the floor. 'Always has to beat me.'  
  
'Calm down, Sonic,' said Rouge. 'It's only Crash Bash.'  
  
Sonic sighed. 'I suppose. Do you want to do something else?'  
  
'Like what?'  
  
'I don't know. You got any other games?'  
  
'I got Gran Turismo 2. You wanna play that?'  
  
'Sure,' said Sonic.  
  
'Arcade Mode or Career Mode?'  
  
'Arcade Mode.'  
  
Rouge put the CD into the PlayStation and pressed the Power button. 'Is this a good game?' asked Sonic.  
  
'You've never played it before?'  
  
'I've heard of it, but I've never played it,' said Sonic.  
  
Rouge shook her head. 'You need to get out more.'  
  
'I know,' Sonic joked. The game loaded, and they began playing.  
  
=============================================================  
  
'KNUCKLES!'  
  
Knuckles looked up from where he was sitting on the grass on the outskirts of the forest, guarding the emeralds, and saw Amy.  
  
'Oh no,' said Knuckles. 'Hell no.'  
  
'Hiya Knuckles!' said Amy. 'Watcha doing?'  
  
'Nothing you need to worry about,' said Knuckles. 'Why are you here?'  
  
'Ooh, neat diamonds,' said Amy, ignoring Knuckles' question.  
  
'They're emeralds,' said Knuckles. 'The round ones are Chaos Emeralds, the ones that look more like the Master Emerald are Super Emeralds.'  
  
'Why do you have to sit and watch them?' Amy asked.  
  
'Because if Robotnik or someone else gets them, the world will end.'  
  
'Really?'  
  
'No, I just made it all up,' said Knuckles sarcastically. 'Why are you here?'  
  
'Nothing better to do,' said Amy.  
  
'Sure you can't go annoy Sonic instead?' Knuckles asked.  
  
'He's with Rouge,' said Amy.  
  
'Oh, right. Can't you go annoy Shadow then?'  
  
'He's skateboarding with Tails,' said Amy.  
  
'Can't you go annoy *someone* apart from me?' said Knuckles.  
  
'Nup.'  
  
Knuckles sighed.  
  
'Where's the Master Emerald?'  
  
'Hidden,' said Knuckles.  
  
'Why?'  
  
'Do you have to ask so many questions?'  
  
'Yes,' Amy said slowly. 'Do the Super Emeralds make you turn super?'  
  
'No, the Chaos Emeralds make you turn "super",' said Knuckles. 'The Super Emeralds make you turn "hyper".'  
  
'Like when Tails drank too much Coke?'  
  
'CAN'T YOU GO AWAY?'  
  
'Okay.If you don't like me I'll leave then.'  
  
Amy walked off. 'Finally,' said Knuckles. 'Now I can get some rest.'  
  
=============================================================  
  
'How come you've never played the game before, but you can beat me with any car?'  
  
'Skill, I guess,' said Sonic.  
  
Rouge laughed. 'This is getting boring. Wanna do something else?'  
  
'One more,' said Sonic.  
  
'Nah,' said Rouge.  
  
'I'll tell you a secret if you let me,' said Sonic.  
  
'Tell me the secret first,' said Rouge.  
  
Meanwhile, Amy was walking past. She stopped at Rouge's house, and saw Rouge and Sonic talking. Sonic had his back to her.  
  
*Why doesn't Sonikku like me?* Amy wondered. Suddenly Sonic leaned forward, and Rouge closed her eyes.  
  
'OH MY GOD! THEY'RE KISSING!' 


	3. Amy

EMERALD FOREST  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own any characters in this story  
  
[CHAPTER 3: AMY]  
  
Rouge, Tails and Amy were walking through the city.  
  
'Where are we going?' asked Tails.  
  
'I need to get some makeup,' said Amy.  
  
*She's pretty without makeup,* thought Tails.  
  
'You have too much makeup,' said Rouge. 'A pity Sonic and Knux are out doing something.'  
  
'What are they doing?' asked Amy.  
  
'Why would I know? Sonic just told me to look after Tails.'  
  
'I should be old enough to stay in his apartment by myself,' said Tails.  
  
'Sonic doesn't trust you,' said Rouge. 'He probably thinks you'll end up stuck to the roof like that time when -'  
  
'Let's not go there,' said Tails.  
  
'Okay then,' said Rouge.  
  
They continued walking.  
  
'You do know I was joking about Sonic not trusting you, right?'  
  
'Yeah,' said Tails.  
  
'Hey look!' said Amy. 'There's a carnival on!' She pointed to a poster.  
  
'Cool,' said Rouge. 'It's on this weekend.'  
  
=============================================================  
  
'And it's on this weekend,' said Rouge.  
  
Rouge, Amy and Tails had met Sonic and Knuckles at the lake in the middle of Emerald Forest, and were telling them about the carnival.  
  
'Let's all go as a group,' said Knuckles. 'Me, you, Sonic, Amy, Tails and Rouge.'  
  
'What about me?' said Shadow, stepping out from the darkness of the trees.  
  
Sonic was about to say something, but Rouge stared at him, so he kept quiet.  
  
'Can Shadow come?' said Tails. 'Please?'  
  
Rouge looked at Tails, then Sonic, then back at Tails. 'Yeah, sure.'  
  
Sonic held back a punch.  
  
=============================================================  
  
That Thursday, Amy was sitting in her apartment on the couch. 'Should I call him, or shouldn't I?'  
  
She sat there for a while thinking, then picked up the phone and dialled Sonic's number.  
  
'Hello?' said Sonic.  
  
'Hi, it's me Amy,' said Amy. 'No! Don't hang up! This is important!'  
  
'What do you want?'  
  
'I saw you and Rouge the other day,' said Amy.  
  
'And?'  
  
'You two were kissing!'  
  
'What?' said Sonic.  
  
'I walked past Rouge's house, and saw you and her *kissing*!'  
  
'We didn't kiss, Amy,' said Sonic.  
  
'But I saw you! It was obvious -'  
  
'Amy, you sure you weren't stoned when you walked past?'  
  
'SONIC! I'M BEING SERIOUS HERE!'  
  
'But me and Rouge *didn't* kiss!' Sonic protested.  
  
'But I saw you -'  
  
Sonic hung up.  
  
Amy growled. 'He always does that!'  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Sonic, I think you're being a bit hard on Shadow -'  
  
'You don't get it, do you Knux?' said Sonic.  
  
'No, I don't get it,' said Knuckles. 'What has Shadow ever done to you to deserve -'  
  
'What has Shadow ever done to me? *What has Shadow -'  
  
'And why do you hate Amy so much?' asked Knuckles.  
  
'Don't get me started on Amy,' said Sonic.  
  
'Why not?'  
  
'She is so *annoying*!'  
  
'I can understand that, but she likes you! She likes you a lot!'  
  
'Why don't *you* go out with her then?' said Sonic.  
  
'No!'  
  
'Then why should I go out with her?'  
  
'You don't get it,' said Knuckles. 'I can't go out with her because I don't like her and Rouge is my girlfriend.'  
  
'But I don't like her either!'  
  
'Hey Sonic, hey Knux,' said Tails.  
  
'What's up, Tails?' said Knuckles.  
  
'I just thought I'd tell Sonic that Amy's coming,' said Tails. 'She's looking for you.'  
  
Sonic sped off into the distance.  
  
'Well, I gotta go,' said Tails. 'See you round, Knux!'  
  
Knuckles looked over to see the emeralds were still where they were supposed to be, and looked up to find Amy running over.  
  
'Have you seen Sonikku lately?' said Amy.  
  
*I know I'm going to regret this,* thought Knuckles. 'Nope, sorry.'  
  
'Okay then. Bye bye!' Amy ran off.  
  
'Thank God she didn't hang around,' said Knuckles.  
  
Rouge flew overhead, then landed. 'Hello Knuckles,' she said.  
  
'How long have you been flying up there for?' he asked.  
  
'About ten minutes,' Rouge replied. 'Watching Sonic run from Amy is good entertainment.'  
  
Knuckles laughed. 'You're that bored?'  
  
'It's better than sitting around guarding shiny diamonds,' said Rouge.  
  
'They're emeralds.'  
  
'I know that.' Rouge smiled seductively again. 'So, do you want to hang out tonight?'  
  
'Sure,' said Knuckles. 'Better than sitting around guarding shiny diamonds.'  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Why are you running away from Amy?' asked Tails as they walked through the city.  
  
'Because,' said Sonic.  
  
'Come on,' said Tails. 'I know it's more than usual. You have a reason for running, don't you?'  
  
Sonic sighed. 'She thinks me and Rouge kissed.'  
  
Tails was silent for a moment. 'You didn't, did you?'  
  
'No, of course not,' said Sonic. 'But try telling that to a stubborn thirteen-year-old who has a crush on you.'  
  
Tails sighed. *I wish she had a crush on me.*  
  
'I know,' said Sonic. 'It's not easy running from her.'  
  
'Huh?'  
  
'I was just saying -' Suddenly Sonic stopped. Tails looked at him, then noticed he was watching something else. Tails turned around, and saw what Sonic saw.  
  
'Isn't that Shadow?'  
  
'Yep,' said Sonic. They watched as Shadow looked around, as if he was scanning for anyone who was watching. 'That's strange...' 


	4. The Carnival

EMERALD FOREST  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own any characters in this story  
  
[CHAPTER 4: THE CARNIVAL]  
  
Shadow walked around the city for a while, then found a shop selling several jewels and diamonds. *Just the place,* thought Shadow. He looked around, to check if Rouge (or anyone else) was watching, then went into the store.  
  
He browsed for a while at the several sparkly items. There were pearl necklaces, sapphire pendants, everything. *Rouge would be in heaven here,* thought Shadow.  
  
He looked around, then came across the perfect item. A ring with a two- centimetre tall ruby shaped like the Master Emerald.  
  
'May I help you?' asked the store attendant, a cute grey bunny with a blue streak in her hair.  
  
'Uh, how much is this?' asked Shadow, pointing to the ring.  
  
'The Giant Ruby Ring?'  
  
'Yeah.'  
  
'It's two thousand dollars.'  
  
Shadow reached into his pocket (a small pocket inside his fur that allowed him to store things) and pulled out several notes. 'Here you go.'  
  
The bunny counted the money, then unlocked the glass case and pulled out the ring, and put it in one of those boxes. She handed it to him and said, 'Have a nice day!'  
  
Shadow put the ring carefully in his pocket, and left the store.  
  
'Hey Shadow, whatcha doing?' shouted Tails.  
  
Shadow looked up and noticed Sonic and Tails standing across the road.  
  
'I just went shopping,' shouted Shadow.  
  
Sonic and Tails crossed the road. Sonic glared at Shadow and looked away. 'What did you get?' asked Tails.  
  
'Toothpaste,' said Shadow.  
  
'Toothpaste? Why'd you get toothpaste?'  
  
'I've run out,' said Shadow.  
  
'That's pretty lame,' said Sonic.  
  
'You know what's pretty lame? YOU!'  
  
'Shadow, calm down,' said Tails.  
  
'I'm alright,' said Shadow. 'I'm going back home, okay?'  
  
'Okay,' said Tails.  
  
=============================================================  
  
Knuckles stood up and dusted himself off as they approached. 'Hello Knuckles!' shouted Amy.  
  
Knuckles shook his head. 'What an airhead.'  
  
'Hey Knux!' said Rouge.  
  
'What time is it?' asked Knuckles.  
  
'Nearly five o'clock,' said Sonic.  
  
'Where's Shadow and Tails?' asked Knuckles.  
  
'They met at the carnival already,' said Sonic.  
  
'Okay. Let's go!'  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Shadow! Tails!' called Rouge.  
  
Shadow spun around and saw Rouge, Knuckles, Amy and Sonic.  
  
'Where's Tails?' asked Sonic.  
  
'He's on the ferris wheel,' said Shadow, pointing to the ferris wheel a small walk away.  
  
Sonic looked up, and Tails waved. He waved back.  
  
'Sonic, Sonic, can I go somewhere with you?' asked Amy.  
  
'Uh, no,' said Sonic. 'Rouge, can I hang around with you?'  
  
'Sorry, Sonic,' said Rouge. 'I'm hanging out with Knux tonight.'  
  
'Amy, you can hang around with me and Tails,' said Shadow.  
  
Knux and Rouge wandered off. 'Looks like I'm stuck with you guys,' said Sonic.  
  
A few minutes later, Tails got off the ferris wheel. 'Can we go on the Yo- Yo?'  
  
'What's the Yo-Yo?' asked Sonic.  
  
'It's where you sit in these seats, and they're in a circle attaching to this spinning thing, and it spins the chairs around and they go up into the air and back down again.'  
  
'I'll go on it as well,' said Shadow.  
  
'So you can hang around your *boyfriend*?' said Sonic.  
  
'You shut up,' said Shadow. 'I could kick your ass any day.'  
  
'Take me on!'  
  
'Sonikku! Don't fight with Shadow!' said Amy.  
  
Shadow and Tails went and stood in line. 'Hey Tails,' whispered Shadow, after observing what it did, 'I dare you to kick your shoe off when we're up high.'  
  
'Okay,' said Tails. 'You're on.'  
  
Sonic and Amy stood there for a whole fifteen minutes. 'Sonic,' said Amy, 'can I ask you a question?'  
  
*Uh-oh,* thought Sonic. *When she calls me Sonic it's serious.*  
  
'Uh, sure,' said Sonic.  
  
'Will you go out with me?'  
  
'Hey, look, Shadow and Tails are getting on the ride!'  
  
Sonic and Amy waved as Shadow and Tails started spinning around, slowly at first, then faster.  
  
'Sonic!' said Amy naggingly, 'why aren't you answering my question?'  
  
'After this ride finishes I'll answer,' said Sonic.  
  
Shadow watched Tails who was in front of him. As the ride got faster, Tails started wiggling his foot slowly out of his shoe.  
  
Shadow smiled slightly as it was nearly off. As the ride reached its peak, Tails flicked his shoe off. It hit someone in the crowd, and they shouted for a second before collapsing.  
  
Shadow cracked up laughing. 'You hit Amy!'  
  
Meanwhile, as it got dark, Knuckles and Rouge were having fun on the dodgem cars. Knuckles laughed at a dirty joke he came up with, just before Rouge slammed her dodgem car into his. Knuckles quickly turned his dodgem car around and slammed into Rouge, just before the cars stopped and they had to get out.  
  
'Where do we go now?' asked Rouge.  
  
'I don't know, wherever you want to go.'  
  
'Okay.'  
  
Shadow, Sonic and Tails crowded around Amy. It was now night, and she was still unconscious.  
  
*Oh no, what have I done!* thought Tails. *Now she'll never like me!*  
  
'She'll be alright,' said Sonic. 'Unfortunately.' For a few seconds Tails thought Sonic was a mind-reader, but then he realised Sonic had been asked a question.  
  
'How long will she be out?' asked Shadow.  
  
'Quite a while,' said the paramedic, who was making sure she was still okay. 'At most, six hours.'  
  
Half an hour later, Rouge and Knuckles were walking around, and had not yet noticed that Amy had been knocked out by Tails' shoe. 'Let's go on that ride!' said Rouge, pointing to a ride where you sat in the seats, then they were spun around sideways, upside down, round and round, the perfect ride. Of course, everyone who got off the ride went to the public toilets so they could empty their stomachs.  
  
'Okay,' said Knuckles cautiously.  
  
The two walked up, and waited in the very, very long line. After about ten minutes waiting, they finally got on the ride.  
  
Ten minutes later, they got off the ride. Rouge managed to stagger out of the way before vomiting.  
  
'That.was.fun.' she managed to say.  
  
'Yeah.' gasped Knuckles. He then turned and threw up on the grass.  
  
* * *  
  
It was nearly nine o'clock when Amy started waking up. 'Well,' said Sonic who sounded like he was in a rush, 'gotta go.'  
  
Amy sat up. 'What happened?'  
  
'Some hooligan kicked off his shoe on that ride over there,' said the paramedic. Shadow tried to keep a straight face. 'Do you feel alright?'  
  
'Yeah,' said Amy, 'but my head hurts. Where's Sonic?'  
  
'He uh, had to leave,' said Shadow. *I wonder what she said to him. Maybe he was just being his normal mean, asshole self.*  
  
'I want to go home now,' said Amy.  
  
'Yeah,' said Tails.  
  
=============================================================  
  
Sonic cracked up laughing. 'You *both* vomited?'  
  
'Yep,' said Rouge.  
  
'It wasn't funny when it happened,' said Knuckles. 'One thing's for sure, I'm not going on that ride ever again.'  
  
'I would've been able to handle it,' bragged Sonic.  
  
'Oh yeah, but you've got an excuse, don't you?' said Rouge. 'Amy's injury.'  
  
The group were walking back to their homes. Amy looked over at Sonic, knowing that she couldn't ask him again in front of everyone. She hoped she would have a moment where it was just her and Sonic, so she would know the answer to the question.  
  
'It's not my fault some dickhead decided to kick his shoe off and hit Amy,' said Sonic.  
  
Shadow smirked.  
  
'I gotta go back to my cabin,' said Knuckles. 'Seeing as we're walking past Emerald Forest and all.'  
  
'See ya Knux!' said Rouge.  
  
They continued walking, and Amy anxiously awaited the moment when her and Sonic were alone again.  
  
'Hey Sonic, isn't that your apartment building over there?' said Tails.  
  
'Yeah,' said Sonic. 'See you round, guys!'  
  
Sonic ran over to the apartment building to find a security guard at the front door. 'I'm sorry mister, but you're not allowed in.'  
  
'But I need to get into my apartment!'  
  
'I'm sorry, this building is closed off to the general public until further notice.'  
  
'But I have all my stuff in my apartment!'  
  
'Sorry mister, you'll have to find somewhere else to stay.'  
  
'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHH!!!' 


	5. Shadow's Ring

EMERALD FOREST  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own any characters in this story  
  
[CHAPTER 5: SHADOW'S RING]  
  
Sonic frantically looked around. He needed a place to stay, and fast.  
  
He ran back over to Shadow, Rouge and Amy, and said, 'Rouge, can I stay at your house tonight?'  
  
'No, Sonic,' said Rouge.  
  
'Please?'  
  
Rouge took him away from Amy and Shadow. 'Amy thinks we kissed the other day,' she said quietly.  
  
'But we didn't,' said Sonic.  
  
'Don't you think if you slept over at my place, she'd start *more* rumours?'  
  
'But - but -'  
  
'No buts,' said Rouge. 'You'll have to find another place to stay.'  
  
'Do you need a place to stay, Sonikku?' said Amy. 'You can stay with me if you want.'  
  
Sonic remembered Amy's question. 'Shadow?'  
  
'Yes?'  
  
'Could I...uh...stay over at your house?'  
  
There was silence. Rouge wondered if Shadow would just deck him on the spot.  
  
'Yeah, sure,' said Shadow. *I hope I won't regret this in the future.*  
  
=============================================================  
  
Shadow dragged out a mattress into the lounge room. 'You can sleep on the couch, or on this if you want. There's a sleeping bag and sheets in this cupboard if you want.'  
  
'I'll be okay,' said Sonic. 'See you tomorrow.'  
  
'Yeah, I guess.'  
  
Sonic lay down on the mattress and tried to get comfy. 'I can't believe I'm doing this.'  
  
=============================================================  
  
Rouge walked into her house and laid down on her queen-size bed, not noticing the Giant Ruby Ring next to her pillow.  
  
She woke up the next morning to her alarm. 'God dammit, that alarm is annoying!' she tried to hit the Snooze button, but couldn't so she just pulled the power cord out.  
  
She sat up, and looked around. 'Hmm, one of those boxes that usually have rings in them.'  
  
She grabbed it, and pulled out a ring with a two-centimetre ruby sticking out of it. 'Wow, this is amazing! Must have cost a fortune!' She then noticed that there was a folded-up piece of paper where the box was placed.  
  
'To Rouge, hope you like it, from your secret admirer,' she read. 'Cool, I have a secret admirer!'  
  
She lay down on the bed, examining the ring. 'I wonder who it is...' She closed her eyes and began daydreaming, as she fumbled with the ring. She put it on, and checked it out. 'It suits me,' she said. 'Hmm...I wonder why it's red...I know, it must be from Knux!'  
  
=============================================================  
  
'So what's the deal with Sonic staying at your place?' asked Knuckles.  
  
'His apartment building was closed off or something,' said Shadow. 'Rouge didn't want him staying at her house, and he didn't want to stay with Amy, so he asked me if he could stay over at my house.'  
  
'That's strange,' said Knuckles. 'Why did he ask you?'  
  
'Most likely because he didn't want to stay with Amy,' said Shadow, looking out from Emerald Forest, where he and Knuckles were sitting.  
  
'Typical. Why'd you agree to let him stay?'  
  
'Normally I wouldn't let him stay, but I want to see him suffer when Amy comes around.'  
  
'Hehe,' said Knuckles. 'He might use you as an excuse.'  
  
'Exactly,' said Shadow.  
  
'So what's he doing right now?' asked Knuckles.  
  
'Playing my PlayStation,' Shadow replied. 'Apparently he's never played a PlayStation more than once.'  
  
Knuckles shook his head. 'And he's saved the world at least three times,' he joked.  
  
Shadow looked up and saw Rouge coming. *I wonder if she's wearing the ring or not.*  
  
Rouge jogged over to the two, and Shadow's question was answered. 'Hey Knux, hey Shad,' said Rouge.  
  
'Hey Rouge,' said Shadow.  
  
'Hey,' said Knuckles. 'Why are you so happy?'  
  
'Check this out!' she showed him the Giant Ruby Ring. 'How cool is it?'  
  
'Who gave it to you?' asked Knuckles.  
  
'A secret admirer,' said Rouge, batting her eyes at him.  
  
'I wonder who it is,' said Shadow.  
  
'I think I have a pretty good idea of who it might be,' said Rouge, looking at Knuckles.  
  
'Looks expensive,' said Knuckles. Shadow was tempted to reply, but kept his mouth shut.  
  
'Whoever bought it must really like me,' said Rouge. 'And I only know of one person who really likes me.'  
  
*Holy crap,* thought Shadow, *she thinks Knux bought her the ring!* 


	6. Sonic & Shadow

EMERALD FOREST  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own any characters in this story  
  
[CHAPTER 6: SONIC & SHADOW]  
  
Shadow looked at his watch. 'I'd better be going now,' he said.  
  
'Bye Shad,' said Rouge.  
  
'Catch you later!' said Knuckles.  
  
'Bye,' said Shadow.  
  
Rouge sat down where Shadow was.  
  
'Can I look at the ring?' asked Knuckles.  
  
'Sure,' said Rouge. She took it off and carefully handed it to Knuckles.  
  
He examined it, then gave it back. 'That *does* look expensive. Who do you think might've given it to you?'  
  
'I think you might've given it to me,' said Rouge, smiling seductively.  
  
'I couldn't afford it,' said Knuckles. 'What made you think I bought it?'  
  
'Well, you *are* my boyfriend, and the ring is red...'  
  
Knuckles laughed. 'Who said we were a couple?' He leaned over and hugged her. 'It seems I have competition...'  
  
They both smiled.  
  
=============================================================  
  
Shadow opened the door and walked into his house, hearing the familiar twinkly sort of sound. *He's still playing the PS,* he thought.  
  
He walked through the lounge room, where Sonic was playing Pacman World, into his bedroom.  
  
*How could I get Rouge to notice me?* he wondered. He was about to lie down on his bed when the doorbell rang. 'I'll get it,' he shouted, standing back up.  
  
He walked to the door, and opened it to find Amy. 'Hey Shad, where's Sonikku?'  
  
'He's in the lounge room,' Shadow replied.  
  
'Dammit!' Sonic whispered. 'Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut?' He looked around to see if he could hide, but Amy walked in.  
  
'Hey Sonikku!' she said happily.  
  
'Uh, hi,' said Sonic. He paused the game.  
  
'Do you want to hang out with me?' she asked. *I need to get him alone, so I can ask him again.*  
  
'Sorry, I can't,' said Sonic.  
  
'Why not?'  
  
'Because uh, me and Shad were going to go.check out my apartment building.'  
  
'What do you mean?'  
  
'To see if anything's happened,' he said.  
  
'Oh. I see. Well, goodbye.' Amy turned around, and left.  
  
'She looked a little down in the dumps,' said Shadow.  
  
'Come check out the apartment building with me,' said Sonic.  
  
=============================================================  
  
The skateboard's wheels rolling along the gravel was the only thing to be heard in the silence, as Tails practised his ollie.  
  
'I wonder where Sonic is,' Tails said to himself. The skateboard rolled up the ramp, and Tails heard a familiar voice.  
  
'How come you're always running away from Amy?' Shadow asked.  
  
'Because,' said Sonic.  
  
'Sonic!' said Tails. He turned, and forgot he was on the skateboard. He landed on his back, but soon stood up again. 'Shadow! What are you guys doing?'  
  
'We're going to check out my apartment building,' said Sonic.  
  
'Cool,' said Tails. 'Can I come?'  
  
'Sorry, Shad's already coming,' said Sonic.  
  
'Since when have you and Shad been friends?' Tails asked.  
  
'Since I decided to go check out why I'm not allowed in my apartment,' said Sonic.  
  
'Amy wanted to hang out with him,' Shadow explained.  
  
'Oh, I see,' said Tails. 'What's in the backpacks?'  
  
'It's a secret,' said Sonic.  
  
'A big secret,' said Shadow.  
  
'Cool,' said Tails. 'Hey look, Amy's coming.'  
  
'Well, gotta go!' Sonic and Shadow ran off until they were out of sight.  
  
'Hey Tails!' said Amy, who was in a happy mood. 'Have you seen Sonic or Shadow?'  
  
'Uh, no, sorry,' said Tails.  
  
'Oh well, I'll hang around you instead,' said Amy. *Sonic's bound to come around and hang with Tails during the day.*  
  
'So, what's up?' asked Tails.  
  
'Nothing much,' said Amy. 'There isn't really anything interesting that's happened lately. You?'  
  
'I'm trying to do an ollie,' said Tails.  
  
'Cool, I guess,' said Amy.  
  
Tails picked up his board and started skating again. 'Can you do any tricks apart from an ollie?' Amy asked.  
  
'I'm still working on the ollie,' said Tails. He stood on the board, and as it rolled he pressed down on the tail, and suddenly the board went up in the air.  
  
'Whoa!' said Tails. 'Did you see that?'  
  
'Yeah, that was cool,' said Amy.  
  
'I hope I can do it again,' said Tails.  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Hey look, there's no one guarding the front door into the lobby,' said Sonic.  
  
'I get the feeling we won't be able to break into the place that easily,' said Shadow. 'Why are we doing this again?'  
  
'To get some stuff I left in there,' Sonic replied. 'And there might be a clue in there as to what's going on.'  
  
'Okay,' said Shadow. They walked up to the front door and Sonic tried opening it.  
  
'It won't open,' he said. 'It's locked.'  
  
'Is there any other way of getting in?' Shadow asked.  
  
'There's a door through the back but that's for the people who work there,' said Sonic.  
  
'Let's go then.'  
  
Shadow looked around to check if anyone was watching while Sonic went around to the side of the building. 'Shadow!' he said quietly. 'There's a wooden fence-thingy and it's got a lock on it. We can't get to the back!'  
  
'Let me see,' said Shadow. He walked around and noticed what could be called a wooden fence which ran from the side of the building to the fence that separated it from the house next door. There was a gate in this wooden fence that was locked, and happened to be taller than Shadow and Sonic.  
  
'There's gotta be a way to get past it somehow,' said Sonic.  
  
Shadow produced a brown emerald out of his backpack, and tossed it in the air a few times.  
  
Sonic laughed. 'Knux mustn't be a very good guardian.' He stood back, expecting Shadow to use Chaos Control. Instead, Shadow threw it at the fence, and as it spun it began to shine.  
  
*BOOM!*  
  
'Neat trick,' said Sonic, as he looked at the remains of the fence. 'Where's the emerald?'  
  
Shadow walked over to the emerald, which was lying in a pile of shattered wood. 'Here it is.'  
  
'How'd you do that?'  
  
'I...don't know to be honest...' said Shadow. 'I just hoped that the emerald would knock the fence over. Seeing as it's heavy and all.'  
  
'Now we know what happens when you throw them,' said Sonic. They walked around to the back to find the door open. 'That's strange. Even when this place was up and running that door was always kept shut.'  
  
'We still going in?' Shadow asked.  
  
'Of course,' said Sonic. 'But I think we'd better take our guns out first.'  
  
'Guns?'  
  
'I packed some in the backpacks,' said Sonic. He pulled his pistol out, and so did Shadow.  
  
'Wow, this is cool. I never knew you had this stuff.'  
  
'With an enemy like Robotnik, it's better to be safe than dead.'  
  
'The saying's better safe than sorry, Sonic.'  
  
'Whatever.'  
  
Shadow checked out his weapon while Sonic walked through the open door and into the laundry. 'The laundry room is empty,' said Sonic. 'It shows they had time to get everything out.'  
  
'Okay,' said Shadow. 'Do I just stand here and cover for you?'  
  
'No, you're coming in with me.'  
  
'Just exactly why do we have guns, anyway?' Shadow asked.  
  
'I have a feeling that guard was guarding something secret,' said Sonic.  
  
'No duh.'  
  
'Which means it's gotta be special,' he continued, as he looked around the laundry room for anything different.  
  
'And special things are protected,' Shadow finished.  
  
'Yes,' said Sonic. 'Like the emeralds.'  
  
Shadow entered the building, and Sonic opened the door. He left the laundry room and entered the hall. Straight ahead of him was a clear-glass door into the lobby, which had all its curtains pulled back. To his left were several apartment rooms and the stairs to the next floor, and to his right were the building's kitchens and dining rooms and janitor's closets. 'Looks clear,' said Sonic, as Shadow entered the hall.  
  
'Which way do we go?' Shadow asked.  
  
'This way,' said Sonic, pointing toward the apartments and the stairs. Sonic led the way, with Shadow covering for him, walking backwards with his gun pointed in front of him, until they made it to the stairs.  
  
'Where's your apartment?' Shadow asked.  
  
'Third floor,' said Sonic. 'Not including this one.'  
  
'Okay,' said Shadow. They began to climb the stairs, listening and looking for any signs of movement.  
  
Suddenly a gun was fired, and the sound of glass shattering was heard. 


	7. Apartment Building

EMERALD FOREST  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own any characters in this story  
  
[CHAPTER 7: APARTMENT BUILDING]  
  
Sonic and Shadow froze in the middle of the stairs. 'What do you think that was?' Sonic whispered.  
  
'Jeez, I wonder,' Shadow whispered sarcastically. The two hedgehogs slowly walked down to the last few steps and hid against the wall. 'I think someone might be after you, Sonic.'  
  
Shadow held his gun, ready to jump into action. The two were pressed up against the wall of the stairs, ready for someone to turn the corner and come into their view. 'Shadow,' Sonic whispered. 'You're closest to the hall, take a quick look and see if he's there.'  
  
Shadow wiped the sweat off his forehead, then took a quick look around the corner. 'Was he there?' Sonic asked, as Shadow held his gun up.  
  
'Nope,' said Shadow. 'We'll have to go after him.'  
  
The two hedgehogs spun around, pointing their guns at the other end of the hall as a safety precaution. 'He's either in two places,' Shadow whispered. 'The lobby or up the stairs.'  
  
'Or in the kitchen, the laundry or the janitor's closet,' Sonic added.  
  
'Or the dining rooms,' Shadow added.  
  
They slow walked forward. 'How bout I check the kitchen and the laundry, and you check the lobby and the dining rooms,' said Sonic.  
  
'Deal,' said Shadow. He walked slowly to the lobby, pointed his gun, then stepped through the smashed glass. Sonic walked past him into the laundry.  
  
Shadow pointed his gun around the lobby, glad that the curtains had been pulled close despite the fact that it made it harder for him to spot anyone in the shadows. He walked around the lobby, pointing his gun around, and found it was empty.  
  
He left the lobby and walked back into the hall, making sure that he wasn't followed. He walked past the laundry, past the kitchen which Sonic was in, and into the dining room.  
  
'He's not in the kitchen or the laundry,' said Sonic as he walked over to Shadow. The two hedgehogs looked out at the dining room, and its almost infinite tables and chairs. There was a bar over to the right of the door, and a few windows on the far side of the room. The curtains were pulled over them, too.  
  
'How many tables are in this place?' Shadow asked.  
  
'Fifteen, maybe twenty,' Sonic replied.  
  
Shadow looked at the four rows. 'He could be anywhere in here, under the tablecloths just waiting to jump out and kill us.'  
  
'Or he could be hiding behind the bar,' said Sonic.  
  
'You go over and check the bar okay?' said Shadow.  
  
'Okay,' said Sonic. He walked over to the bar, and was about to check to see if the guard was there when he heard something go THUMP! He jumped and crouched with his back to the bar, to see that Shadow was flipping over the tables.  
  
'Very smart,' said Sonic. 'That's a sure-fire way to find them. Just hope they're not ready to shoot you.'  
  
'At least I'm doing something,' said Shadow. He flipped over more tables, each one with nothing under them except maybe some chewing gum that was stuck under it.  
  
'Don't you think he'll notice that you're kicking over tables if he's hiding under one?' said Sonic.  
  
Shadow kicked another one over. 'If he's hiding under one, he'll have no escape. Besides, you'll be watching in case he tries to sneak from one table to the other, right?'  
  
'Yeah,' said Sonic. 'Only one problem: if he's not here he'll hear us and find out where we are.'  
  
'Oh well,' said Shadow. 'I have a feeling he's in here.'  
  
Sonic stayed in his position crouched against the bar. He watched as Shadow started on the last row, so absorbed that he didn't notice anything except the tables.  
  
However, Sonic heard it. He stood up, spinning around to face the bar, and pointed his gun.  
  
'Crap,' said the guard.  
  
=============================================================  
  
Tails rode the skateboard up the ramp, grinded along the top of the ramp for a few seconds then rode back down.  
  
'What's that trick called?' Amy asked.  
  
'Grinding,' Tails replied. 'That's the first time I've tried it.'  
  
'Cool,' said Amy.  
  
'Hey look, what's Knux doing?' Tails pointed to Knuckles, who was running towards them.  
  
'Tails! Amy! I need to tell you something!' Knuckles jumped, then glided over to them, dropping in front of them. 'Rouge reckons the people that closed off Sonic's apartment building are going to set it on fire today. Do you know where Sonic is?'  
  
'He and Shadow went to check out why they closed the apartment building down,' said Tails.  
  
'That's bad,' said Knuckles.  
  
=============================================================  
  
'I will never tell,' said the guard.  
  
Sonic tightened his grip on the guard's collar. 'You will tell us everything, or we will shoot you,' he said through gritted teeth.  
  
'I do not care if I die,' said the guard.  
  
'You don't, overgrown raccoon?' said Sonic. He held his gun up against the guard's temple. 'Let's see then.'  
  
'I am not scared,' the guard replied.  
  
Sonic cocked the gun. 'Scared yet?'  
  
Shadow looked out the doorway, nervous that someone might come in and find them.  
  
'I am not afraid to die for my cause,' said the guard.  
  
'Very well.' Shadow turned away, and heard Sonic's gun go off. 'Great, his brain's splattered all over the floor.'  
  
'I didn't need to know that,' said Shadow as Sonic dropped the guard to the floor. Shadow turned around and closed his eyes at the site of the dead guard. 'Did you have to kill him in a way that the contents of his head would come out like that?'  
  
'No other choice,' said Sonic. 'This guy is obviously a bad guy.' He bent over and checked the dead raccoon's pockets for anything. He pulled out a wallet and a folded-up note. 'Here, you read the note while I check out his wallet.'  
  
'And steal his money.'  
  
'Yeah.'  
  
Shadow read the note, and a shocked look came over his face. 'Uh, Sonic? According to this the building should be in flames in a few minutes.'  
  
Sonic looked up from the guard's wallet and said one word. 'Run.'  
  
=============================================================  
  
Tails, Amy and Knuckles hurriedly made their way towards the apartment building. 'What if we don't make it?' said Amy. 'What if we don't make it?'  
  
'We will,' said Knuckles. They turned the corner to see the building still intact.  
  
'There's still time!' said Tails. Knuckles stopped, but Tails ran for the building.  
  
'Tails, no!'  
  
Suddenly the place erupted in flames. 'Holy crap!' Tails shouted.  
  
'Did - did - did it just explode?' said Amy. She was nearly in tears. 'Sonic - Sonikku - he's dead!' 


	8. Flashback

EMERALD FOREST  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own any characters in this story  
  
[CHAPTER 8: FLASHBACK]  
  
Amy closed her eyes as she lay down on her bed. 'Man, I'm so tired! What a day.'  
  
~~They stood there watching the burning building. 'Man,' said Knuckles. 'This is bad.'  
  
Amy sat on the ground, crying her eyes out. 'He's dead! He's gone...'  
  
'Hang on!' said Tails. 'I can see something!'  
  
'Really?' Amy looked up, hoping he'd seen Sonic. 'Where?'  
  
'It was really fast,' said Tails. 'I don't know what it was. It might've been Sonic.'  
  
'Sorry, but if Sonic and Shadow survived, don't you think they would've come to tell us it's okay?'  
  
Amy broke down in tears again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
'Come on, let's go back home.' Knuckles and Tails helped Amy up off the ground. Everyone had gathered around the burning building, watching the firemen as they arrived, trying to put the fire out.  
  
Amy wiped her nose and eyes. She had cried so much that she couldn't see clearly. Knuckles and Tails, however, could see the people watching Amy, wondering who she knew that was in the building.  
  
They arrived back at Amy's house five minutes later. 'I'm going back to Emerald Forest,' said Knuckles. 'Tails, can you look after Amy?'  
  
'No, I'm okay,' said Amy, her nose blocked from the crying. 'I'll be alright.'  
  
'Can I go to Emerald Forest with you, Knux?' Tails asked.  
  
'Okay,' said Knuckles. 'If you need any help just ring me, or come and see us!'  
  
Amy went to the front door, pulled out her keys and unlocked it. She stepped into her house, looked around for a few seconds then headed to her bedroom.  
  
She opened her closet, pulled out a jacket to keep her warm, and was about to flop onto the bed and cry herself to sleep when she realised who was on her bed. She jumped in shock, and fainted.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When she came to she thought she was dreaming. 'Sonic - Sonikku? Is that you?'  
  
'Yeah,' said Sonic. 'Don't worry, I'm here. No need to cry any more.'  
  
'Sonic!' Amy sat up and hugged him, sniffing her tears back. 'You're alive!'  
  
'Yeah,' said Sonic, rubbing Amy's back to comfort her. 'Me and Shadow got out before the building was set on fire.'  
  
Amy smiled. 'How come you didn't come and tell us? We were right outside the building!'  
  
'We didn't notice,' said Sonic. 'For some reason the apartment building had some sort of gravity switch or something. We couldn't run fast enough. Me and Shad only just got out.'  
  
*That must've been what Tails saw,* Amy thought, hugging Sonic tighter.~~  
  
Amy closed her eyes, and fell asleep dreaming of Sonic...  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Damn!' said Shadow. 'How the hell do you do it?'  
  
'Rouge has Gran Turismo as well,' said Sonic. 'I guess I'm just naturally talented.'  
  
'I'll bet you're cheating somehow,' Shadow joked.  
  
'You can't prove it,' Sonic joked back. Suddenly the doorbell rang. 'That'll be Amy.'  
  
'I'll go get it.' Shadow put down his controller and opened the door. 'Hey Amy!'  
  
'Is Sonic here?' Amy asked.  
  
'Where else would he be?'  
  
Amy walked in. 'Hey Sonic, watcha doin?'  
  
'Playing Gran Turismo with Shad,' said Sonic, as Shadow sat down and resumed gameplay.  
  
'You have a PlayStation?'  
  
'Yeah, you got a problem with that?' said Shadow.  
  
'Nope,' said Amy. 'I personally think Nintendo is better.'  
  
'I personally think you need to change your opinion, and fast,' said Sonic.  
  
'You do know Nintendo has the worst stats of all the next-gen consoles,' said Shadow. 'Xbox has the graphics, PlayStation2 has...uh...good points...'  
  
'Sony is better than Nintendo,' Sonic agreed.  
  
'But Sony stole a lot of stuff off Nintendo,' said Amy. 'Nintendo could sue them and make them go bankrupt.'  
  
'...Piss off, Amy!' said Sonic.  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Honey, what's wrong?' said Knuckles. He could tell Rouge was a little edgy. She sat up on the bed, and he did the same.  
  
'Yesterday, it - it frightened me,' said Rouge.  
  
'The apartment building thing?'  
  
'Yeah.'  
  
Knuckles hugged her and kissed her cheek. 'It's alright now. Sonic and Shad are safe.'  
  
'But how did they get out?' she asked.  
  
'I remember Shadow told me yesterday...'  
  
~~'Okay,' said Knuckles. 'If you need help just ring me, or come and see us!'  
  
Knuckles and Tails turned and left Amy as she entered her house. 'I don't think Sonic is dead,' said Tails. Knuckles looked at him at curiously. 'He can't be. He just can't...'  
  
They walked in silence back to Emerald Forest. 'Wanna come back to my cabin?'  
  
'Sure, may as well,' said Tails. They walked till they found Knuckles' cabin. 'Don't you lock the door or anything?'  
  
'Nope,' Knuckles replied as he opened the door.  
  
'Holy crap.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
'What are you doing here?' Knuckles asked.  
  
Shadow sat back down on the bed. 'It's a long story.'  
  
'I've got time.'  
  
'Okay then. Me and Sonic were in the apartment building...'  
  
Sonic looked up from the guard's wallet. 'Run.'  
  
Shadow jumped out the room and began running, with Sonic not far behind. However, less than a second after they started running time itself seemed to slow down. 'What's happening?' Shadow asked.  
  
'Speed slowing device,' Sonic replied. 'Some of Robotnik's minions and associates used them to try and slow me down. It affects SOAP shoes in a bad way.'  
  
'Rendering them useless?'  
  
'Worse. It slows them down to the point where we can hardly move. Which is what's happening right now.'  
  
Shadow sniffed as he tried to exit the building. 'I can smell something burning!'  
  
'Crap!' shouted Sonic. 'We have to get outta here!'  
  
Shadow looked around. 'We're not gonna make! There's gotta be a way out!'  
  
Sonic noticed a little black object on the wall that looked like a smoke alarm. 'That's one of them!' he exclaimed. 'I'm gonna try and take it out. Where's that emerald?'  
  
Shadow reached into his pocket, and tossed it to Sonic. He then began preoccupied with what he was doing.  
  
Sonic aimed at the device. He knew that if he missed, they would be stuck. He took aim, threw, and...  
  
'Haha! It only affects the shoes!' said Shadow, just as the device was destroyed. Sonic sped out of the place, with Shadow following, shouting 'Hey! Wait up!'  
  
Shadow looked up at the burning building, not noticing Knuckles, Amy and Tails standing behind him.  
  
'...And that's why I don't have any shoes on,' Shadow concluded.~~  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Wow, you're getting really good,' said Amy.  
  
'Yeah,' said Tails. 'Shadow's helped me out with some tricks, and gave me this cool book that has even more tricks in it.'  
  
'What are you going to do now?'  
  
'I'm going to attempt a trick on the big half pipe.'  
  
'But isn't that still a bit dangerous? After all, you're still a beginner.'  
  
'This small one is too...small for me.' Tails rode down a slope and to the bigger half pipe.  
  
*Tails isn't as bad as I thought,* Amy thought as she watched him get ready to do the trick, getting used to the bigger half pipe.  
  
Tails went up and down the half pipe one last time, then sped up. He was launched into the air, grabbed the board and spun around, then tried to land. The back wheels hit the edge of the half pipe and Tails went skidding down the half pipe. 'Tails! Oh my god! Tails, are you alright?'  
  
She ran down to Tails, who was lying still on the ground. 'Tails! Tails, wake up! Tails!' 


	9. Secrets

EMERALD FOREST  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own any characters in this story  
  
[CHAPTER 9: SECRETS]  
  
Knuckles and Rouge wandered around the city, holding hands. 'What a nice afternoon,' said Rouge.  
  
'Yeah, I spose,' said Knuckles.  
  
'What's wrong?' Rouge asked.  
  
'Nothing...' said Knuckles. 'I just don't like being away from the emeralds...'  
  
'You hid them in a safe spot,' said Rouge. 'They'll be okay.'  
  
'I hope so...'  
  
'Why don't you loosen up?' Rouge asked. 'You should stop worrying about those emeralds, it's not like Robotnik's gonna come back from the dead and steal them or anything. And I won't steal them.'  
  
'Back from the dead? He's still alive, isn't he?'  
  
'Not that I know of,' said Rouge. 'I heard the mafia threw him into the ocean with some concrete boots.'  
  
'But still...' said Knuckles.  
  
'Come on,' said Rouge. 'It's not like Sonic and Shadow are going to sneak into Emerald Forest and steal the emeralds.'  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Hey Shadow, let's steal Knux's emeralds!'  
  
'Sonic, why are we walking through Emerald Forest?' Shadow asked. 'Coz I have no idea what we're doing.'  
  
'I read something in a magazine,' said Sonic.  
  
'What would this something be?'  
  
'That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the heir of Slytherin alone can control,' said Sonic.  
  
'What the f -'  
  
'Never mind.'  
  
Shadow followed Sonic as they continued walking through Emerald Forest, not knowing why Sonic was doing so. 'Sonic, why are we walking through Emerald Forest?' he asked again.  
  
'I told you, we're looking for something I read in a magazine,' said Sonic.  
  
'What the hell is it?'  
  
'Can't tell you,' said Sonic. 'You'll know when we find it.'  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Tails, wake up! Wake up! Tails, can you hear me? Wake up!'  
  
Amy shook Tails, but he wouldn't come to. 'God, why did this have to happen now?' She picked him up, slung him over her shoulder and carried him back to her house.  
  
She walked into the lounge and dumped him on the couch. 'For a little fox who skateboards and follows Sonic around all day, he sure is heavy.'  
  
She examined to see if Tails was injured, but he seemed fine. So she sat in a lounge chair and waited for him to awaken.  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Wow, that's cool,' said Shadow.  
  
'Yeah,' Sonic agreed.  
  
The two stood in the middle of Emerald Forest. On a carefully carved piece of rock stood the mammoth Master Emerald, almost twice their size.  
  
'And Knuckles has to guard this thing?' said Shadow.  
  
'Yep. And the other fourteen as well.'  
  
'No wonder he never has time for anything. Is this what you were looking for?'  
  
'No,' said Sonic. 'Come on, let's go.'  
  
As they walked, Shadow considered what Sonic was looking for. 'Is there some sort of hidden secret in this forest?'  
  
'Sort of,' said Sonic. 'I can't really tell you...'  
  
'Please? Please please please please please?'  
  
'Okay,' Sonic said finally. 'In this magazine I read, there was a rumour that a deserted underground lab was located in this very forest. All who have tried to find it either came out empty-handed, or never returned.'  
  
'Cool,' said Shadow. 'Where would this underground lab be?'  
  
'Deep inside this forest,' said Sonic. 'Right now we're nearly in the middle of Emerald Forest, which means...'  
  
'We're going for a swim?'  
  
Sonic ignored Shadow, and walked in the direction he thought the lab might be. 'What if there *is* no lab?' Shadow asked.  
  
'There is,' said Sonic. 'I know it.' They continued walking, then Sonic spotted something. 'Over there!'  
  
Sonic started running, and Shadow followed him. Sonic stopped, and Shadow realised what it was. 'That looks cool.'  
  
There was a set of stairs leading down into an underground building. 'This is the lab,' said Sonic. He looked around, then began to walk down the steps.  
  
'Uh, is it safe to go down there?' Shadow asked. 'I mean, it might not be a good idea to go there without anything to defend yourself with.'  
  
'I don't need to defend myself,' said Sonic.  
  
'Whatever.' Shadow stood at the top of the stairs, while Sonic reached the bottom.  
  
'I'm going in,' he said. 'Just -'  
  
Suddenly there was a noise that shook the entire forest, and with the forest still shaking, Sonic ran out of the building, sheer fright on his face... 


	10. The Beach

EMERALD FOREST  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own any characters in this story  
  
[CHAPTER 10: THE BEACH]  
  
Amy looked over at the lounge to find Tails stirring. 'Tails - Tails, are you awake?'  
  
'Yeah,' said Tails. He rubbed his eyes and sat up.  
  
'Are you okay?'  
  
'Yeah,' said Tails. 'What happened?'  
  
'You stacked a skateboard trick,' said Amy.  
  
'That's strange, I feel fine.'  
  
Tails stood up and stretched. 'So what are you going to do now?' Amy asked.  
  
'Probably go skateboarding some more,' said Tails.  
  
Amy rolled her eyes. 'You know you just -'  
  
Suddenly Sonic burst through the door, followed by Shadow.  
  
'Sonic? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost or something!'  
  
'Amy,' Sonic said, puffed from running all the way from Emerald Forest, 'I need, to tell you something. Tails, you two.'  
  
'Well, what is it?' asked Amy.  
  
'Yeah,' said Shadow. 'What is it that you couldn't have told me first?'  
  
'Not here,' said Sonic. 'We need to talk somewhere private.'  
  
'Like...?'  
  
'Your bedroom.'  
  
'You just want to see what it looks like, don't you?' said Amy, grinning.  
  
'Whatever,' said Sonic.  
  
The four walked into Amy's room. 'So, what's this all about?'  
  
'Me and Shadow, we went into Emerald Forest,' said Sonic. 'We were looking for something I saw in a magazine. We came across this underground lab, and I went in, and...wait a minute, what is Tails doing here?'  
  
'Tails fell off his skateboard,' said Amy.  
  
'Really? So that's why you took him here?'  
  
'He was unconscious, Sonic!'  
  
'Sure. Anyway, I went down into the lab and suddenly there was this flash. I think I must've been hallucinating or something. It was like, watching fifteen horror movies back to back. I was so shocked that I ran out of the lab, and to here.'  
  
'And, what's this got to do with us being all secretive about it?' said Tails.  
  
'The article,' said Sonic, 'told of an abandoned lab. It was full of horrible secrets, and contained the mysterious Lost Emeralds...'  
  
'Sonic, have you been doing drugs in the past twenty-four hours?' Shadow asked.  
  
'No, why would I do drugs?'  
  
'Well, the story is a bit far-fetched,' said Amy.  
  
Just then there was a knock at the door. 'Amy, you should probably answer that.'  
  
As Amy left the room, Sonic looked at the closed curtains. 'I hope it isn't to do with my apartment building...'  
  
Amy opened the door. 'Oh, hi Knux! Hi Rouge! What's up?'  
  
'We were wandering past, and thought we would say hello,' said Rouge.  
  
'Oh, uh, come in!'  
  
Knuckles and Rouge walked in to find Sonic, Shadow and Tails in Amy's bedroom. 'What are you guys doing here?' Knuckles asked.  
  
'Uh, um...' Sonic looked at Shadow, then at Tails.  
  
'We were discussing something,' said Tails.  
  
'Hmm, sounds interesting,' said Rouge. 'What are you discussing?'  
  
'We were, uh, thinking of going to the beach!'  
  
Sonic swallowed nervously, but Rouge said, 'Cool! We could all go down to the beach tomorrow!'  
  
=============================================================  
  
'I have a bad feeling about this...' Sonic said quietly to Tails.  
  
All six were in Shadow's car; Shadow was driving, Knuckles was in the front passenger set, Sonic on the left back seat, Tails in the middle and Amy on the other side.  
  
'Well it's a bit late for regrets now,' said Tails. 'Don't worry, everything will be fine.' *I get to sit next to Amy!*  
  
'This car trip is too boring,' said Knuckles. He pulled out a compact disc, and put it into the car's CD player.  
  
'WHERE'S YOUR HEAD AT!' blared the car's speakers.  
  
'KNUCKLES! TURN IT DOWN!'  
  
Knuckles reluctantly turned the volume down. 'The song loses its value when you listen to it at a low volume!'  
  
'Too bad,' said Shadow. 'Besides, we're nearly there. It's only a ten minute drive.'  
  
Sonic rocked back and forth on his seat. 'Don't worry bout it,' said Tails. 'It's only the beach, you don't have to go in water.'  
  
The time seemed to fly for everyone except Sonic. 'We're here!' Shadow announced, pulling into the parking lot.  
  
Everyone got out, and Knuckles opened the boot. He grabbed his boogie board and ran out into the surf.  
  
'He seems a bit eager,' said Shadow.  
  
'He's always like that,' said Amy. 'Can't keep away from the water. Can't walk past a skateboard without testing it. I think he might've been dropped on his head when he was a baby.'  
  
Sonic looked nervously at the beach. 'I don't have a good feeling about this, Tails.'  
  
'What's the worst that could happen? You just need to sit on the sand until you feel comfortable with the beach and the water.'  
  
Sonic, Tails, Amy, Rouge and Shadow walked down onto the beach. Rouge and Amy set up towels and sunbathed, while Shadow ran out into the water. 'I think I'll just hang around here with the girls,' said Sonic.  
  
'Fine with me,' said Tails. 'If you start to feel better, come out and have a swim.'  
  
'I don't know how to swim, remember?'  
  
'I'll teach you,' said Tails.  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Look at Knux go!' said Rouge. She laughed as Knuckles was slammed by a gigantic wave.  
  
'Hey, where's Sonikku?' Amy asked.  
  
'Don't know,' said Rouge. She looked around, but couldn't see the blue blur anywhere. Instead she saw Shadow coming back ashore. 'Hey Shad!'  
  
'Tails is too energetic for me,' he said exhaustedly, smiling. 'I need to take a rest.' He sat down on the sand next to Amy. 'Where's Sonic?'  
  
'I was wondering the same thing,' said Amy. 'He went to the toilets a while ago, I'm not sure where he might be now...'  
  
'I'll go check,' said Shadow, looking around at the nearly empty beach as he stood up. He walked over to the toilets, went in, and found Sonic curled up in a ball in the corner. 'You know it's real unsanitary, sitting in here.'  
  
'I can't hide anywhere else,' said Sonic. Shadow could see he was seriously worried.  
  
'You mean your fear of the water?'  
  
'Yeah.'  
  
'Why didn't you go have a lay down in the car or something?'  
  
'I could still see the water. Every time I see it...the bad memories...too many of them...'  
  
'What do you mean, bad memories?'  
  
'You don't seriously think I'm scared of the water coz I can't swim, do you?'  
  
'Well, no, not really...'  
  
Shadow stood there, considering. He finally asked, 'Then why are you scared of the water?'  
  
~~Sonic stared out at the water, his big childish eyes shining. 'What are mummy and daddy doing?'  
  
'They're in that boat,' said Sonic's uncle, pointing to a motorboat. 'That one there.'  
  
'Cool!' said Sonic. 'Where are they going, Uncle Steve?'  
  
'Not far.' He looked at Sonic, and smiled. *They're always cute when they're little,* he thought to himself, as he watched the four-year-old Sonic make his way down off the grass and to the sand. Steve watched him carefully as he sifted the sand through his fingers.  
  
'Uncle Steve! Uncle Steve! Come here!' Sonic suddenly wailed. Steve got up and ran over to him. 'A big bug! Get it away!' He stomped down on the "bug".  
  
'It's just a crab,' said Steve. He picked it up and put it out of the way. 'It won't hurt you.' Sonic watched, fascinated, as the crab crawled away. 'Can you stay here for a minute? Uncle Steve needs to go get something from the car.'  
  
Sonic watched Uncle Steve jog back up to the car, and turned to the water. He saw his mum and dad coming back to shore in the boat, and began jumping up and down. They waved to him, and he waved back.  
  
It all seemed to go in slow motion. Something was following the side of the boat, and if Sonic had been older he would've realised what it was. A great white shark leapt out of the water, grabbed Sonic's parents in its jaws and then landed on the other side of the boat.  
  
Sonic stood there, thinking that it might be a game. But they never got back onto the boat.~~  
  
'When I saw them dead, I couldn't take it,' said Sonic, fighting back tears. 'I ran away, and just kept running.'  
  
Shadow just stood there. He was so shocked by Sonic's story he couldn't say anything.  
  
'Later on I realised that they were dead,' Sonic said. 'I - I just couldn't bear to go near water. I managed to stay calm, and my panic attacks didn't come as often. But this beach, it reminds me so much of that beach I was on an odd eleven years ago...'  
  
Shadow had to lean against the wall to stop himself from collapsing. He managed to say, 'Sorry, man.'  
  
'Hey, what are you guys doing in here?' said Tails. Shadow turned around to see Tails standing in the doorway. 'Amy thought you two had been abducted or something!'  
  
'She sure has a vivid imagination...' said Shadow.  
  
=============================================================  
  
'Do you feel better now?' Tails asked.  
  
'Yeah,' said Sonic.  
  
'I have a really cool CD I think we should listen to -'  
  
'KNUCKLES!'  
  
'Okay, okay, don't blow a fuse.'  
  
Shadow tried to concentrate on driving, but something in the back of his mind kept distracting him.  
  
Without warning, a dog ran across the road. 'Shadow! WATCH OUT!' 


	11. Night

EMERALD FOREST  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own any characters in this story  
  
[CHAPTER 11: NIGHT]  
  
The car swerved as the dog ran past. It skidded sideways, and rolled over several times and temporarily stopped upside-down with Amy, Rouge and Tails all screaming. 'We're going to die!' Sonic shouted. Suddenly the car rolled back upright, and Shadow sat there in disbelief.  
  
'Good thing this car has a balancing machine installed into it,' said Shadow.  
  
=============================================================  
  
'That was really close, eh?' said Rouge.  
  
'Yeah,' said Amy. 'I'm still scared.'  
  
Rouge looked out her window, at the dark night. 'So, how's life?'  
  
'Good,' said Amy.  
  
'How's Sonic?'  
  
'He's good too.' Amy sat there for a while, watching the cars drive past with their headlights on, then suddenly remembered something. 'Remember back when we were at the carnival?'  
  
'Yeah...why?'  
  
'I asked Sonic if he would go out with me,' said Amy. 'It just came into my mind then!'  
  
'Did he say yes?'  
  
'I don't know. I don't think he answered, I think he said something about waiting until Tails and Shadow's ride had finished...but then I got hit in the head with a shoe.'  
  
Rouge smiled as she remembered that night. How she and Knuckles had both vomited after going on a ride. 'Has he said anything about it lately?'  
  
'Nope,' said Amy. 'I'll have to ask him soon.'  
  
'It's good that you're making the effort,' said Rouge. 'Do you wanna play a game of Monopoly?'  
  
'Sure, why not.'  
  
=============================================================  
  
'You sure the lab was here?'  
  
'I'm one-hundred percent sure,' said Sonic, shining his torch light around Emerald Forest. 'You believe me, don't you Tails?'  
  
'Yeah, I guess. But I haven't seen anything yet.'  
  
Sonic sighed. 'I wish I could remember where it was. Maybe Shad and Knux could help out.'  
  
'It's too late now,' said Tails. 'We'll have to find it right here, right now or turn around and go back home.'  
  
'Yeah, I suppose your right,' said Sonic. 'A few more minutes, okay?'  
  
'Okay,' said Tails with a sigh. 'You sure you saw a hidden lab in this forest?'  
  
'Nah, I got freaked out all for nothing,' Sonic said sarcastically. 'Tails, there's a hidden laboratory somewhere in this forest, and I want to find out what's in it.'  
  
'What do you reckon is there?'  
  
'Not sure to tell you the truth, but it's gotta be something interesting. After all, no one would put some boring old junk in a lab in the middle of a huge forest.'  
  
'Cool,' said Tails. 'Can you remember where it was before?'  
  
'I told you Tails, it was here,' said Sonic.  
  
'You could just be a little disoriented or something,' said Tails. 'After all, it is night time. You saw the lab in perfect daylight, so it could be anywhere.'  
  
'Yeah, that's probably it,' said Sonic. 'Well, I don't think we'll find it tonight.'  
  
'We'll go look for it tomorrow?'  
  
'Yeah.'  
  
=============================================================  
  
'How's Rouge?' Shadow asked.  
  
'She's good,' said Knuckles.  
  
'You got any drinks?'  
  
'Sure.'  
  
Shadow stood up and made his way to the kitchen, opening the fridge door. 'You got any Coke?'  
  
'Yeah,' said Knuckles as he turned on the TV. 'In the bottom left corner.'  
  
Shadow pulled out the 2-litre Coke bottle, opened the lid and poured some into the cups.  
  
'Nothing on but the weather,' said Knuckles, sighing. 'TV's boring late at night.'  
  
Shadow drank down half the cup, when the lights began flickering on and off.  
  
'Whoa, what's happening?' said Shadow.  
  
'I don't know, the TV's stuffing up too.' The lights continued flashing, and Shadow suddenly felt sick. He tried to keep his balance, grabbed onto the kitchen bench, but fell.  
  
The power went off... 


	12. The Invitation

EMERALD FOREST

Disclaimer:

I don't own any characters in this story

CHAPTER 12: THE INVITATION

Knuckles looked around. 'That's strange,' he said to himself. He got up off the couch, and slowly made his way into the dark kitchen to find the Coke bottle had been tipped over, soaking the floor. 'Ah crap, I only just bought that yesterday.' He grabbed the bottle and put it upright, then looked at the mess. It was then that he saw the body on the ground.

'Sh-Sh-Shadow? Is...is that you?' Knuckles crouched over and rolled Shadow out of the way of the Coke puddle. 'Shadow, are you awake?' Shadow didn't reply.

Knuckles felt for a pulse, then sighed with relief. 'At least he's still alive.' He slowly picked Shadow up, slung him over his shoulder and dragged him over to the couch. 'I never thought Shadow was that scared of power shortages.'

He stood in darkness for a while, then the power came back on. Shortly after, Shadow woke up too. 'What happened?'

'I think you fainted.'

'Why do I feel sticky?'

* * *

The sun shone as Sonic, Tails, Shadow and Knuckles were hanging outside Shadow's house.

'Hey Sonic,' said Shadow, 'what was that letter you got in the mail?'

Sonic reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. 'This?'

'Yeah.'

'I haven't opened it, I forgot I had it.' Sonic ripped the top off the envelope, and took out the letter inside. ' "Dear Sonic, you have been invited to the Mason Hotel for two nights. You and a friend may use this voucher to spend those two days, all expenses paid."'

'Cool!' said Tails. 'Can I come can I come can I come?'

'Sure,' said Sonic.

'What's it for?' Shadow asked.

'What do you mean? It's for two nights all expenses paid.'

'No, I mean why are you getting the voucher?'

'Huh?'

'You must've done something, right?'

'Well...I'm not sure.' Sonic looked around in confusion. 'Maybe it's for defeating Robotnik.'

'Maybe...'

* * *

Knuckles stopped for a while and looked around Emerald Forest. 'Where is it...'

He turned to his right and continued walking, climbing over fallen trees, avoiding dangerous-looking plants and animals.

He walked for roughly half an hour in what seemed to be circles, then stopped. 'Good. It works...'

* * *

'Well, this is it Tails,' said Sonic.

Tails looked up at the huge skyscraper. 'Wow Sonic, this building goes up into heaven!'

Sonic laughed. 'I'm not so sure about that.' He walked up to the front door and entered Mason Hotel, with Tails following closely behind.

'Hello, how may I help you?' said the lady hedgehog behind the front desk.

Sonic showed the voucher. 'I see,' said the hedgehog. 'Someone'll be with you in a moment.' As she picked up the phone on her desk, Sonic and Tails sat down on some comfy chairs in the lobby.

'Why are we doing this now?' Tails asked. 'Why can't we save it for some other time?'

'It expires next week,' Sonic replied.

'Oh, I see.'


	13. Another Gift

EMERALD FOREST

Disclaimer:

I don't own any characters in this story

CHAPTER 13: ANOTHER GIFT

'And what do these pieces do?'

'Those are "knights",' Rouge explained. 'They can move two forward and one to the side, or one forward and two to the side.'

'They look like horses.'

Amy stared at the chess board. 'And these ones move on diagonals, right?'

Rouge nodded. 'The bishops move on diagonals.'

'Okay, I think I've figured it all out now,' said Amy. 'Can we play?'

'Sure. You can make the first move...'

As Amy played she suddenly remembered when she saw Rouge and Sonic through the window. 'So...what do you think about Sonic?'

'He's okay, I guess,' said Rouge. 'At times he can be a bit annoying…'

Amy thought about what she was going to say next. To Rouge it looked like she was thinking about what her next move was, which was why she found it strange when Amy absent-mindedly moved one of her pieces into the path of one of Rouge's. 'I...once I saw you and Sonic...kissing.'

Rouge stared quizzically at Amy. 'What?'

'I think it was the day after that night out, and Shadow got angry at Sonic. You were playing a video game, and then Sonic leaned forward and…'

'Oh! I know what you're talking about!' Rouge laughed. 'I was just telling Sonic something.'

Amy blushed. 'I thought...you and him...'

'Don't worry 'bout it Amy,' said Rouge. 'It was an easy mistake to make. Your move.'

'Checkmate.'

--------------------------------------------------------------

Shadow browsed the chocolate store, amazed that there could be so many. Why oh why didn't I figure out what Rouge liked first?

Finally he decided to get a box of Ferrero Rochers, and went to the counter. 'Hey, I remember you!' said the person at the check-out. Shadow looked up to see the same grey bunny that was there when he chose the ring for Rouge.

'You were at the jewellery store!' said Shadow. 'How come you're working here?'

'I have a lot of different jobs,' said the bunny, smiling at him. 'So, what can I do?' Shadow put the box on the counter. 'You going to eat all of them yourself?' the bunny joked.

'Err, no, they're for someone else,' Shadow said.

'Your girlfriend?' the bunny said, still smiling.

'Nah,' Shadow replied nervously. 'Not yet anyway.'

The bunny laughed. 'Well, good luck! That'll be two dollars.'

--------------------------------------------------------------

'How do you do it?' Rouge wondered.

'Am I any good?' Amy asked.

'Good? You've beaten me six times in a row!'

'You might just suck at chess,' Amy said innocently. Rouge was about to say something when the door burst open.

'It works! It –' Knuckles looked around. 'Why are you playing chess?'

'Amy wanted to learn,' Rouge said.

'What works?' Amy asked, looking up at Knuckles.

'Uh, nothing,' he replied. 'The lawnmower wouldn't work and I fixed it…' He took a deep breath. 'Well, see you later.'

'See ya Knuckles!' said Rouge. Knuckles walked out the front door, along the concrete path and past some bushes that rustled with the wind. He ignored the fact that there was no wind blowing and walked on.

How am I going to drop off this present? Shadow wondered. He watched as Amy and Rouge sat playing a board game of some sort. He sighed as he observed Rouge, admiring her in every way possible… 'Ah, Rouge...' Shadow said dazily.

Rouge's ears twitched. 'What's wrong?' Amy asked.

--------------------------------------------------------------

'Nothing,' said Rouge. 'I have the strangest feeling that I'm being watched...'

Sonic sighed. 'Why are we still waiting?' Tails asked out of curiosity.

'I have no idea,' Sonic replied. He stood up and walked over to the receptionist desk. 'Excuse me, but we've been waiting here for nearly half an hour, and you said someone would come to take us to our rooms.'

'Sorry for the inconvenience sir,' said the lady hedgehog. Sonic sat back down, and she picked up a phone. 'Send them down. Now.'


End file.
